He had to wait almost five years, which is to say an eternity. And wait for the emergence at the highest level of a new generation to finally find the intoxication of the podiums during a French team championship. So Mohamed Otmane obviously did not shy away from his joy. A joy increased tenfold, in his eyes, by the fact that“90% of our team is made up of authentic Niçois. Come for some of the districts, from Ariane to Moulins, via Saint-Sylvestre…”
In Perpignan, in any case, the Olympic judo Nice (OJN) amazed more than one. “We knew we had a group that held up. But with Enzo’s injury [Gibelli, entorse du genou, ndlr], the objective was first of all to appear in the top 7, to be sure of staying in the first division. And, however, with this silver medal, I cannot really speak of surprise. Because we very quickly realized that all the fields of the possible opened before us. We had, of course, some difficulties to get through the first lap, but afterwards, everything went well. The guys did the job. Until the final [face aux Franciliens du FLAM 91, NDLR], that we only lose on the wire (2 wins to 3)… “
A great adventure, therefore, but which is actually just beginning, since Pietri and his colleagues have qualified (just like PSG) for the Europa League, scheduled for December 11 in Prague (Czech Republic).
New adventure
“We are going to represent Nice, and France more broadly, on the continental scene, the technical director is already enthusiastic. It’s a source of pride, but also an opportunity to show that we can be at the top, outside of Parisian structures. They certainly have budgets two to three times greater than ours, but we have real know-how in terms of training, which we have just demonstrated. Because the team championships – even if judo is above all an individual sport – remain at this level a real showcase… “
However, there is no question of forgetting that the step may, this time, be much higher. To hide the fact that there will be very, very serious customers on the tatami mats. “We are in the shoes of an outsider. But why not finish in the top three … Now we remain lucid and we know how hard it will be. There are very big teams, like the Georgians or the Russians, for whom group cohesion is written in their DNA. But we will still do our best to get closer to the summits. “
That would almost sound like a promise …
